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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Movie: The Descendants

Based on Kaui Hart Hemmings’ acclaimed
debut novel, “The Descendants” sees Matt
King (George Clooney), a husband and father of two girls, who must re-examine
his past and navigate his future when his wife is in a boating accident off
Waikiki.He awkwardly attempts to repair
his relationship with his daughters - 10 year-old precocious Scottie (Amara Miller)
and rebellious 17 year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) - while wrestling with
a decision to sell his family’s land.

Finding two young actresses who were
capable of holding their own against Clooney in the roles of his two willful
and defiant daughters Alexandra and Scottie, who resent Matt for never having
been an involved parent until now is key to the film’s emotional core.For Alexandra, director Payne ultimately chose Shailene Woodley, best
known for the television series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

Woodley was thrilled because, by the
time she auditioned, she was already in love with the story.“It’s a heart-wrenching journey about
growth,” she comments.“I love how everybody
in the story grows in their ability to love, grows in maturity, in figuring out
their individuality and who they are as a family.”

Even though Matt King is trying to
re-establish a connection with his kids, he finds youngest daughter Scottie a
complete mystery, almost an alien life form, with whom communication of any
kind is an iffy prospect.To find a
young actress who could handle the humor and heartache of playing a
pre-adolescent eccentric, Payne saw more than 300 girls from around the
country.He still hadn’t found the right
candidate with shooting about to start.

That’s when he encountered Amara
Miller, a promising nine year-old newcomer from Pacific Grove, California.He received an e-mail with her videotaped
audition and recalls that “about a minute into it I just said, ‘oh that’s
her.’I don’t need to see her.I knew that she was the one.I just knew she would show up.And like many things in life, she did, but in
the most unpredictable way.”

Adds producer Jim Burke:“Amara walked on the set like an old
pro.She’s a natural.She’d never been in a movie before but she
was amazing.”

For Payne, working with Miller – his
first time directing a child in a major role – was no different from the adult
cast.“The great thing about working
with Amara is that I didn’t have to treat her like a little girl. I could just
tell she was an instinctive actress. I could just say, ‘No, do it more like
this.’Or, ‘Please put a small pause
between these two lines.’The way to
treat people in general, and actors in particular, is to tell them the truth,”
he sums up. “I was always able to do that with Amara.”

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All photographs are copyright to Myk Rome. All Rights Reserved 2012. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered without the prior express written permission of Myk Rome

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